Thyroid CancerSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer is a cancer that starts in the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is located in the front of your lower neck.
Tumor - thyroid; Cancer - thyroid; Nodule - thyroid cancer; Papillary thyroid carcinoma; Medullary thyroid carcinoma; Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma; Follicular thyroid cancer
Common conditions include: Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, Follicular Thyroid Cancer, Papillary Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer can occur in people of any age.
Radiation to the thyroid increases the risk of developing thyroid cancer. Exposure may occur from:
- Radiation therapy to the neck (especially in childhood)
- Radiation exposure from nuclear plant disasters
Risk factors are a family history of thyroid cancer and a chronic goiter (enlarged thyroid). Being overweight or having obesity may be a risk factor for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.
There are several types of thyroid cancer:
- Anaplastic carcinoma (also called giant and spindle cell cancer) is the most dangerous form of thyroid cancer. It is rare, and spreads quickly.
- Follicular carcinoma is more likely to come back and spread.
- Medullary carcinoma is a cancer of non-thyroid hormone-producing cells that are normally present in the thyroid gland. This form of thyroid cancer tends to occur in families.
- Papillary carcinoma is the most common type, and it usually affects women of childbearing age. It spreads slowly and is the least dangerous type of thyroid cancer.
Symptoms vary depending on the type of thyroid cancer, but may include:
- Cough
- Difficulty swallowing
- Enlargement of the thyroid gland
- Hoarseness or changing voice
- Neck swelling
- Thyroid lump (nodule)
The treatment depends on the type of thyroid cancer. Treatment of most thyroid cancer types is effective if diagnosed early.
Surgery is most often the initial treatment. All or part of the thyroid gland may be removed. If your provider suspects that the cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the neck, these will also be removed. If some of your thyroid gland remains, you will need follow-up ultrasound and possibly other studies to detect any regrowth of thyroid cancer.
Radiation therapy may be done with or without surgery. It may be performed by:
- Taking radioactive iodine by mouth
- Aiming external beam (x-ray) radiation at the thyroid
After treatment for thyroid cancer, you must take thyroid hormone pills for the rest of your life. The dosage is usually slightly higher than what your body needs. This helps keep the cancer from coming back. The pills also replace the thyroid hormone your body needs to function normally.
If the cancer does not respond to surgery or radiation, and has spread to other parts of the body, chemotherapy or targeted therapy may be used. These are only needed by a small number of people.
Jefferson Torresdale Hospital
Marcia Brose is an Oncologist practicing medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Brose is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Thyroid Cancer. She is also highly rated in 7 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Thyroid Cancer, Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma, Papillary Thyroid Cancer, and Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer. Dr. Brose is board certified in Medical Oncology. Dr. Brose is currently accepting new patients.
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Ramona Dadu is an Endocrinologist practicing medicine in Cary, North Carolina. Dr. Dadu is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Thyroid Cancer. She is also highly rated in 17 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma, Papillary Thyroid Cancer, and Thyroidectomy.
Domino's Farms
Megan R. Haymart, MD is Professor of Internal Medicine with an appointment in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes at the University of Michigan. She holds the Nancy Wigginton Endocrinology Research Professorship of Thyroid Cancer and is Director of Thyroid Cancer Research at the University of Michigan. Dr. Haymart received her medical degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She then completed a fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the University of Wisconsin. She has been faculty at the University of Michigan since 2009.Dr. Haymart has a history of NIH-funded research focused on optimizing thyroid care delivery. She is a health services researcher who primarily studies thyroid cancer care across the disease continuum: from the diagnosis of a thyroid nodule to cancer survivorship. In recognition of her research, she received the American Thyroid Association’s Van Meter Award for outstanding contributions to research on the thyroid gland (2017), the University of Michigan’s Jerome Conn Award for Research Excellence (2017), membership to American Society for Clinical Investigation (2018), the AACE Hossein Gharib Education Lectureship Award for exemplary contributions to an individual profession or area of expertise (2021), and the inaugural AACE Endocrine Care Innovation Award in recognition of her team’s outstanding body of work focused on clinical outcomes or health care delivery (2025).Dr. Haymart is actively involved in improving research infrastructure at the University of Michigan. This includes her roles as Assistant Director of Data Solutions for AI & Digital Health Innovation, faculty support for MICHR, and co-Director of Patient’s First. She also devotes time to mentoring junior faculty and trainees resulting in her receipt of the MICHR Distinguished Clinical and Translational Research Mentor Award (2021) and the Women in Thyroidology and American Thyroid Association Woman of the Year Award (2021) for promoting the advancement of women, both within the organization and field. Dr. Haymart is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Thyroid Cancer. She is also highly rated in 10 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Nodule, Papillary Thyroid Cancer, Thyroidectomy, and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Dr. Haymart is board certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism.
You can ease the stress of illness by joining a cancer support group. Sharing with others who have common experiences and problems can help you not feel alone.
Complications of thyroid cancer may include:
- Injury to the voice box and hoarseness after thyroid surgery
- Low calcium level from accidental removal of the parathyroid glands during surgery
- Spread of the cancer to the lungs, bones, or other parts of the body
Contact your provider if you notice a lump in your neck.
Awareness of risk (such as previous radiation therapy to the neck) can allow earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Sometimes, people with family histories and genetic mutations related to medullary thyroid cancer will have their thyroid gland removed to prevent cancer.
Summary: Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common form of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The traditional first line treatment for patients with advanced DTC after surgical resection is radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy. However, less than a quarter of patients with lung metastases will achieve a complete response to RAI therapy, and this therapy carries the risk of pulmonary fibrosis and an i...
Summary: The ANTARES study is a phase II basket trial designed to evaluate the tissue-agnostic efficacy of the monoclonal anti-PD1 antibody, nivolumab, in patients with advanced or metastatic rare tumors. The study aims to treat rare malignancies with PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥ 10), regardless of the tumor's tissue type or location. Patients who have not responded to standard treatments will be included, and ...
Published Date: January 25, 2026
Published By: Sandeep K. Dhaliwal, MD, board-certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Springfield, VA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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National Cancer Institute website. Thyroid cancer treatment (PDQ) - health provisional version. www.cancer.gov/types/thyroid/hp/thyroid-treatment-pdq. Updated May 9, 2025. Accessed February 24, 2026.
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Ullmann T, Kim J, Lindeman B, Sosa JA. The thyroid. In: Tyler DS, Hayes-Dixon A, Hines OJ, et al, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 73.